


The Kitten's Claws

by jujukittychick



Series: LJ tictactales Spring '12 [4]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Consenual bloodplay 'cause vampires, Eventual Relationships, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Non-con/Dub-con bloodplay 'cause vampires, OMC - Freeform, Oblivious Scoobies, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slash, Smut too, Threesome - F/M/M, Xander needs a keeper, and better friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 10:54:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1742180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jujukittychick/pseuds/jujukittychick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xander’s gotten himself captured…again! Good thing he has a couple unlikely protectors watching out for him</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: LJ tictactales Spring 2012, right diagonal prompts: catsuit, blood play, impudent
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the computer I'm typing this on and am making no money. Buffy and Twinkies belong to their respective creators and owners who *are* making money off them. I'm just doing this for my own fun and entertainment; in general, if you recognize something, I don't own it.

*Crack* The sound of a whip splitting the air and the cut-off cry of a male voice as it then split skin open seemed to echo inside a stone chamber with the rattle of chains following soon thereafter as the male in question struggled against his bonds and panted harshly as he struggled to fight through the stinging pain.  
  
“So very brave you are…or simply foolish.” A female voice that carried no warmth or kindness of any kind spoke up behind the male, a rough tongue and sharp fangs dragging across the open skin of the welt the whip had created across his shoulders, and the satisfied moan that followed, caused him to suck in quick breaths as he tried his best not to give in and give her the screams she desired. The bright red fingernail that followed behind, reopening the cut had him fighting back the same urge. This was the fourth such mark she’d left on his body and so far he’d managed to stay strong. He knew that nobody he knew would ever believe him if he told them that though…well, almost nobody.  
  
A hand grabbed his hair, tugging his head sharply back. “Well, which is it, human? Bravery or stupidity? Tell me where to find the Slayer. I know you know; everybody says you are one of her friends, one of her… Slayerettes.”  
  
Deep brown eyes met her glowing gold ones before a twisted smile tilted bloodied lips and a gob of spit landed on her face. “Try taking a walk… through one of our… scenic graveyards, she’ll find you… soon enough.”  
  
The female screeched and tossed his head away, causing him to twist and turn and his shoulders to wrench as he hung helplessly in the chains attached to the stone ceiling. “You impudent wretch! Do you know who you are messing with?”  
  
“Not a clue… so obviously… nobody important. You’re just…dust in the air… as soon as my friends… find me.”  
  
Another crack of the whip and another burning trace of fire across his back had Xander biting back another scream, one reason why his lips were bloodied besides her backhanding him a couple times. Oh, Buffy so owed him big time for this… a year’s supply of Willow’s guilt cookies and Twinkies would be a good start. He knew he was simply distracting himself from the crazy ass vamp stalking around him, not the best idea, but then he was shackled naked to the ceiling with only the very tips of his toes able to touch the floor so it wasn’t like there was a whole lot he could do to protect himself anyway. He watched as the vamp came to a stop in front of him once more, all her delightful assets showcased to perfection in the black vinyl catsuit she was wearing… well, if you ignored the bloody whip she carried and the bumps and fangs and grr aspect anyway. Blatantly looking her up and down, he smirked the best he could with swollen lips. “So what’s with… the whole dominatrix… look? Trying for… intimidating? Dru pulls the look off… much better and she wears… like twenty pounds of dress… and talks to baby dolls.”  
  
“Dru? Is that the Slayer?” Bright red nails bit into his cheeks as she grabbed his jaw, leaving little crescent shaped cuts in his skin.  
  
Xander chuckled, he couldn’t help it. “You must be new if… you don’t know who… Dru is. Drusilla and Spike… of the Aurelius clan? Childer of Angelus? Half of the Scourge of Europe? You’re in their territory…and they don’t take kindly to… trespassers. If the Slayer doesn’t get you… they’re going to.” He laughed again at the angry expression that twisted her face and made the bumps and ridges stand out all that much more. “Dust in the wind… oomph!” Another backhand had him spinning uncontrollably as he swallowed a mouth full of blood as his teeth once again tore through the inside of his mouth, giving him glimpses of her licking the blood from her fingers and making him cringe for other reasons entirely.  
  
“You…you child! You know nothing! I fear no one! No vamp, no Slayer, they can’t touch me!”  
  
“Naughty, naughty girl, playing so rough with the Kitten when he hasn‘t his claws with him.” A lilting child-like voice filled the room and made Xander smile evilly at the vampiress that had held him captive most of the night.  
  
A willowy young woman dressed in an old-fashioned dress with flowing raven hair seemed to dance into the room, dreamy dark gaze completely skipping over the vinyl-clad female, regulating her to unimportant, and resting immediately on Xander’s bloodied body. “Oh, my poor Kitten, what has the naughty girl done to you? Mummy told you not to play alone after dark without your claws, now you must both be punished.”  
  
“Oi, Princess, think the Kitten’s been punished enough for one night, don’ you? Got t‘ remember he breaks easy.” A young man entered, bleach blonde hair seeming to glow in the uneven light as the black leather duster he wore floated around him dramatically as he stalked forward, a lit cigarette dangling carelessly between his fingers. His crystal blue gaze raked over the room, once again discounting the strange vampire in the room and focusing solely on the young human male dangling in the chains. “Did a right half-arsed job on ya, didn’ she, pet?”  
  
Xander couldn’t help the laugh the comment dragged from him, leave it to Spike. “I’ve had worse, yeah. Should probably…make introductions. Bitch… meet Dru and Spike. Dru, Spike… meet the bitch… or as I like to call her… Dusty.”  
  
Unable to take being ignored any further, the woman screeched again, causing the other three to wince at the piercing noise, and stomped her foot. “I am Fiona, Mistress of the Dark…”  
  
Spike cut her off and looked incredulously at Xander. “’Mistress of the Dark?’ You’ve got to be bloody kiddin’ me. How’d you let this stupid bint grab you?” Shaking his head, he looked at Dru who was twirling carelessly around Xander, leaning forward occasionally to lap up some of the blood that leaked from the welts to drip down his back, coincidentally healing the cuts at the same time, causing a completely different reaction in the boy than the one the stranger had received if the significant stirring Spike saw was anything to go by. Raising an eyebrow, he gave Xander an amused look. “Enjoying yourself there, pet?”  
  
Blushing furiously at his body’s unconscious reaction to Dru’s gentle ministrations and Spike’s teasing, Xander refused to meet the laughing blue gaze, muttering, “Shut up, Spike.”  
  
“Kitten’s blood is sweet, sweeter, sweetest, like candy in my mouth. But Kittens must have cream to stay so sweet so we must feed our naughty boy so I can taste his cream later.” Dru’s lilting words, spoken mostly to herself, or maybe to her stars, didn’t help Xander’s embarrassment, or Spike’s amusement, as there was really only way he could think to translate that last half, and he’d gotten pretty decent at translating Dru-speak since he’d met the two.  
  
Fighting back a laugh so as not to irritate his Dark Princess, Spike’s lips still quirked as he watched their Kitten struggle with embarrassment and arousal, both causing his tanned skin to flush a lovely pink as the blood rushed furiously under the surface… sweet indeed. “So, which one of us is providing dinner tonight d’ya think, pet?”  
  
“Spiiiike!” Xander closed his eyes and pretended he was anywhere but there, hanging helplessly in chains with a now raging erection and surrounded by three insane vampires, one who wanted to kill him and two who wanted… well, he never was quite sure what those two wanted with him, but regardless, at least the rest of the Scoobies weren’t there to witness this particular night’s humiliation of the Xan-man.  
  
The guys’ attention was pulled once more to the creator of the night’s entertainment when she yelled, “How dare you ignore me?! I, Fiona, Mistress of the…”  
  
“Mistress of the Dark, yeah yeah, we heard ya the first time, didn’ we? Princess, do you want to punish the naughty girl or shall I?”  
  
“No!” A sharp crack split the air as Dru struck out suddenly, slapping Spike and leaving a trail of crimson behind as one of her nails sliced his cheek. Licking the wound closed, she danced past him and towards the fuming vampire. “Mummy must punish the naughty girl for playing too rough with the Kitten. You remove the kitten’s collar and brush his fur ‘til he shines once more.”  
  
Spike watched as Dru sprung forward suddenly, not even slipping into game face as she began to toy with the other woman. Making sure that she was in no real danger, he turned his attention to the blushing boy in front of him and grinned. “Oh pet, she does give me the best prezzies, don’ she?”  
  
“Just get me down, Spike…please?”  
  
Spike chuckled and stepped forward, leaving only a breath of space between their bodies, though not enough to keep the boy’s pulsing erection from pressing against his stomach and leaving a wet spot against his t-shirt as he reached upward to wrench the manacles around each wrist apart. “Going to need a good soak after tonight, pet; your shoulders are swelling. “  
  
Catching him around the waist and holding him close as he was freed, Spike inhaled the spicy-sweet scent of their Kitten, taking in the smells of embarrassment and arousal, but only a little fear, as well. Yes, even without his claws, their Kitten was something else. Looking into those deep brown eyes as Xander pulled back a little, getting feeling back in his legs, he leaned forward, hesitating only a moment before capturing the bruised and bloodied lips in a deep, gentle kiss, tongue swiping over his lips before plunging inside, mapping out the warm cavern of his mouth.  
  
It took a moment for Xander to think any further beyond “kissing” and “Spike-kissing” and “damn, he can kiss,” but an angry shriek had him pulling away from the kiss and stumbling back from the other male as he glared accusingly at him. “Spike!”  
  
“Wot? Had to heal your mouth up, didn’ I? No sense in walkin’ around smellin’ like a vampire buffet with every breath you take, is there?”  
  
Xander didn’t believe him any further than he could throw him, though it was probably  _part_  of the truth at least. He couldn’t argue with the results anyway. Deciding to cope as he usually did with things he had no control over, he shoved it in his “ignore” box and turned his attention to the catfight going on in the far corner of the room. “Kinda feel like we should have popcorn.”  
  
Spike grunted his agreement and leaned against the nearest wall, watching as Dru continued to toy with the other female, wearing her down and driving her into an unthinking rage little by little as she danced and twirled seemingly carelessly around her, hands striking out at random to slice open fabric and skin with razor sharp nails even as she effortlessly dodged the swipes and punches aimed at herself.  
  
Getting a prickly feeling through his body, he scented the air as a stray breeze rushed into the room. Pushing away from the wall, he removed his beloved duster and tossed it to the boy. “Put that on. Oi, Princess, Slayer and her pets are coming; need t’ hurry things up.”  
  
Pouting, Dru reached out, grabbing the other vampire’s head between her hands and twisting it completely around until it detached and the “Mistress of the Dark” did just as Xander predicted and became nothing more than dust in the air. Turning to face her boys, she stomped one slippered foot. “She always spoils Mummy’s fun.”  
  
Making her way over to Xander, she ran a bloodied fingertip over his now-healed lips before darting forward to lick them clean. “Good boy, Kitten is all clean and shiny again but I shan’t be able to taste his cream tonight.” Leaning against his larger body, encased as it was in Spike’s duster, she inhaled the combined scent of her two boys, moaning softly as she darted forward to nip at his neck, fangs just barely piercing his skin and drawing blood before she was licking it closed, laughing softly as she felt him suck in a deep breath and shudder against her. “Naughty boy isn’t clean anymore. Mummy must punish you later, but the naughty Slayer spoils the fun so we shan’t be able to play tonight.”  
  
“Drusilla! Spike! Get away from Xander!”  
  
“Good Lord!”  
  
“Xan…Xander?”  
  
“Oh, um, hey guys.” Xander blushed and subtly… or perhaps not so subtly… guided Dru behind his back with one hand, the other holding fast to the front of the almost too-small duster, keeping it closed. “Good to see you guys.”  
  
“Oi, pet, think you might want to get to explainin’? Don’ relish ending up like the ‘Mistress’ over there.” Spike kept a wary eye on the Slayer and her minions though he couldn’t help but pleased at the boy’s protective action, not that his Dru couldn’t protect herself.  
  
“Huh? Oh, yeah, right! Buffy, it’s okay, Spike and Dru totally saved me. There was this totally out there vamp who kidnapped me and whipped me, and can I just say ‘ouch!’ and called herself ‘Mistress of the Dark’ and really? How many vamps would actually come up with something that cheesy?”  
  
“More than you would think actually, pet” Spike couldn’t help adding, shrugging carelessly as Xander glared at him, mouthing “not helping!”  
  
“Wait a minute.  _Dru_  and  _Spike_  rescued  _you_?”  
  
Xander blinked at them, confused, not knowing what the big deal was. “Well… yeah.”  
  
Giles fought the urge to polish his glasses, unwilling to hinder his vision in the present company. “Xander, are you quite feeling okay? It has been noted that Drusilla has the power to enthrall her victims, often causing them to willingly offer themselves to the clan as, well, food.”  
  
Xander felt like he was missing something and looked helplessly at Spike. “You speak his language, translate.”  
  
“Oi! It’s bloody English you nob, not Fyarl!” Grumbling, Spike exchanged an aggravated look with the Watcher, united in common exasperation for a moment before returning his attention to the clueless boy. “He thinks Dru scrambled what little wits you show them so you’d become our happy meal on legs.”  
  
“Oh! Well why didn’t you just say that?” Rolling his eyes at Giles and earning an annoyed growl from both Englishmen, he turned his attention to Buffy who looked ready to pounce on the first vamp that moved. “I’m fine; well I wasn’t fine, but Spike and Dru lic…” Blushing furiously as he realized what he was about to say, he shook his head. “Ummm, Spike and Dru patched me up, and other than needing a long soak in a tub, ‘cause dangling from chains and spinning around is seriously bad on the shoulders and I really don’t think I’m going to be able to move all that well tomorrow, I‘m all good. Hey how did you guys find me anyway?”  
  
“Mummy followed your scent from where the naughty girl stole you.”  
  
“We used a scrying spell, but it wasn’t very exact so we got a little lost looking… for… you.”  
  
It took a minute for Xander to separate the two sentences out as Dru and Willow answered at the same time, though considering the incredulous looks the three Scoobies turned on him, it didn’t take them long to figure it out.  
  
It was Buffy once more that spoke into the following silence. “’Mummy’? Is there something we should know, Xander?”  
  
“Silly girl, the Kitten isn’t big enough for his claws yet so he must take them with him, but the naughty boy went out without them and the naughty girl stole him away. But sweet William and Mummy rescued him and showed the naughty girl his claws.”  
  
Three sets of blank looks stared back at the unlikely trio. “What?” “Huh?” “Good Lord.”  
  
“Umm, I‘m not translating that first part ‘cause that would end in all kinds of bad I think, but she said that I needed protection and since I was out without any tonight, meaning like you guys or them, the weird vamp lady kidnapped me so they had to rescue me and they showed her that they were my protection…or something like that.  
  
“Bloody ‘ell, this is gonna take t’ daybreak at this rate.” Spike growled and strode forward, standing between Dru and Xander, an arm draped casually over each of their shoulders, though it was plain to see he’d be able to fight at a moment’s notice. “The boy here’s under our protection, yeah? Did us a good turn a ways back; helped me with Dru when she was having a bad spell, he did. We’ll always help him… ‘less he turns his back on us, that is.”  
  
“You…You’re under the pro…protection of William the Bloody and Drusilla the Mad?”  
  
“Um…yeah? Didn’t I tell you guys that?”  
  
A rounding chorus of “NO!” echoed through the small room.  
  
“Oh, um, sorry?”  
  
“You nob,” Spike gently slapped the boy on the back oh his head. “S’like you’re tryin’ to get us dusted.”  
  
“Geez, sorry; I thought I had told them like ages ago.” Rubbing the back of his head with his free hand, ‘cause he sooo wasn’t letting go of the front of the duster, Xander glared at the blonde vampire, though it soon faded as he thought back all those months ago to when the incident happened, and he specifically recalled telling the others about it.  
  
Watching the changing expressions on the boy’s face, Spike realized what had happened and gave the boy a soft smile, his hand smoothing down his hair in apology as he whispered. “S’alright, pet. Y’ know  _we_  listen to ya, right.”  
  
“Yeah.” Softly, the hurt from his friends’ inattention clearly seeping through, then stronger, “Yeah,” as he took a deep breath and shook the feeling away; wasn’t the first time they’d ignored him after all.  
  
“Good on ya, pet. Now get on with ya and let the Slayer see ya home and doctor those shoulders. I’ll get our Princess home alright.”  
  
Nodding, Xander stepped away from the comfortable hold on his shoulders and walked towards his friends, practicing his own skills of ignoring as they looked at him in differing shades of “are you out of your ever loving mind” to “you poor thing.” Looking back at the vampire couple, he gave them a warm smile. “Thanks, guys, for rescuing me and everything. I appreciate it.”  
  
Spike nodded in return, waiting as the others filed out of the underground room, waiting until just Xander remained before calling out to him, “Oi, pet, make sure you clean my coat before you return it, that stuff’s a mess to get out of leather once it sets. Then again, might like to carry your scent around with me for a while.” He could see the blush that lit the tanned skin from across the room, as well as smell the scent of a little arousal on the air. His laughter followed the blushing boy out of the building and into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xander got captured...again! Good thing his own personal guardian demons were around to rescue him, unfortunately now he's got to explain things to the other Scoobies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had so much fun writing the first chapter, and with the lovely begging from LJ kahuna_burger for MORE, I couldn’t help thinking of back-story and what would happen next for our poor Xander. Angel’s not in the picture, Xander pissed him off one too many times or something and he’s off finding himself in LA. You’ll notice this Xander has definitely been hanging around bad influences for a while lol.  
> By the way, my story is definitely influenced by the relationship Xander, Spike and Dru have in kahuna’s story [Not Ripe Yet](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7202328/1/). If you like mine, you should definitely go read hers- it’s absolutely wonderful and lovely and makes me want to cuddle all of them to pieces.

Xander stood with his head bowed underneath the pounding spray of hot water from the shower, trying to get the screaming muscles in his shoulders to relax. What he wouldn’t give for a hot tub right then, or even the huge claw footed monstrosity that Spike and Dru had in their lair; he knew for a fact he’d be able to lay back and soak in the thing considering he’d seen Spike and Dru both fit in there.  
  
Of course, having thought of it, he couldn’t help recalling how he’d come across -that- particular bit of information and smiled fondly in remembrance… well, until a pounding on the bathroom door made him jerk in surprise and jar his shoulders causing him to hiss at the sudden sharp pain.  
  
Trying as he was to catch his breath again, he failed to respond to the first imperious knocking which simply led to another round of pounding and Giles’ voice carrying into the room.  
  
“Xander? Are you in there? Is everything alright? I have some clothes for you.”  
  
Xander cut the water off, not even having tried washing properly since he couldn’t lift his arms above his waist at the moment, and looked around the windowless room incredulously. “Where the fuck does he think I’m gonna go? Down the drain?”  
  
“Xander? Did you say something?”  
  
“I’ll be right out, G-man.” Xander sighed and carefully toweled off his legs before wrapping the towel around his waist and opening the door, ignoring the surprised gasps from the girls at his undressed state and Giles’ disapproving look. What, did they expect him to suddenly appear fully clothed? All he’d had on when they’d got there was Spike’s duster…which they better not have messed with.  
  
“Xander, you are dripping all over the floor. Would it have been too much to ask you to dry off properly?”  
  
Xander just stared at him for a long moment before speaking, unable to keep the anger from his voice. “Giles, what part of ‘I can’t lift my arms’ didn’t you understand?”  
  
“Xander! Don’t be such a meany-head to Giles. You don’t look that bad.”  
  
“’Not that bad?’ Willow, I was hanging in chains for hours apparently, being whipped bloody and backhanded hard enough to send me spinning a couple times; I’m lucky I can move my bloody arms at all, much less only having a black eye and these lovely marks to show for it.” Fighting the urge to yell, he lifted his arms the best he could to show the bruised, raw skin around his wrists from where the manacles had dug into his arms repeatedly.  
  
“Hey, your arms are totally not all bloody; you barely have a mark on you.” Buffy waved towards his wet and mostly bare body still on display. “Not like we could miss anything.”  
  
Xander resisted the urge to scream in frustration while Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and gave Xander a considering look. Not even bothering to look at Buffy, Giles responded to her comment. “It’s an English phrase, Buffy, used instead of a vulgarity for emphasis. Apparently you’ve spent quite a  _lot_  of time around Spike and Drusilla, Xander, if you are picking up their manner of speaking.”  
  
Xander just gave him a bored look; he was tired, in pain, and getting colder by the minute as he stood damn near naked and wet in the air conditioned room.  
  
“Though Buffy does raise a good point - you are remarkably uninjured for what you said supposedly happened.”  
  
“Supposedly?!” Xander heard his voice go high enough to break in his outrage, something that hadn’t happened since he’d first hit puberty.  
  
“Well, Xander, you have to admit, things looked a little…odd, when we got there. It was simply the three of you, no other vampire, and you were naked and wearing Spike’s jacket.”  
  
“Of all the…” Stalking to the middle of the room so he could stand in direct light, he turned his back to the three of them, unaware of the reaction he caused in the girls as they were presented with broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist and a bubble-butt lovingly encased by wet terry-cloth. “There, now look; considering I can still feel them, you should still be able to see the marks. Dru wasn’t able to heal them completely before she went off to play with the ‘Mistress.’ Spike took care of my mouth.”  
  
Xander felt the warm touch of fingertips against his chilled skin, felt them trace four distinct lines across the width of his back and shoulders, knew they were following the scars left behind from the whip even without Giles’ muttered “extraordinary.”  
  
“You said they healed you; how exactly?”  
  
“They waved a magic wand. They‘re vampires, how do you think they did it?” When Giles just gave him a blank look, Xander glanced pointedly at the girls then back at the older man. “Do I need to spell things out?” He would, even if it would embarrass him to explain  _exactly_  how Spike had healed his mouth, but Buffy was willfully ignorant, he’d noticed, when it came to a lot of things regarding her so-called calling and Willow would have a total wiggins about it.  
  
It took a minute, okay, what felt like a couple, but then, “Oh. Oh! Um, no, that’s quite alright then.”  
  
Giles’ brightly blushing face and sudden furious polishing of his glasses was  _almost_  enough to make him feel a little better. Almost. “Happy now? Could I possibly get some clothes on before I catch pneumonia on top of everything else?”  
  
“Oh…oh yes, of course. They’re on the bed in the guest room.” An absent wave from Giles as the Watcher made his way to one of several overloaded bookcases dismissed him, apparently completely from thought and not just from the room; even the girls were busy whispering to each other.  
  
Xander found the clothes where Giles had said, except that included with the sweatpants was a pullover sweater. In that moment, for the first time the entire night, Xander truly felt like breaking down and crying. All of a sudden it was just too much, the kidnapping, the torture, the treatment from the people that called themselves his “friends”, and the long night and day at home with his oh so loving parents to look forward to ‘cause there was no way he was going to make it to school in the morning after everything.  
  
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he managed to shimmy into the sweatpants as he fought to get himself back under control. This wasn’t the end of the world, hell, in the grand scheme of his life so far, this was barely a blip on the radar, and it certainly wasn’t a change in the way the others had been treating him the past year.  
  
Leaving the sweater on the bed and his soggy towel sitting on the floor and soaking into the carpet, a petty revenge but he’d take what he could get at that point, he made his way back to the living room, only to come to a sudden stop at the sight before him. “Buffy if you damage Spike’s duster, I swear I will take a knife to your new leather purse personally the next time you go out on patrol.”  
  
Buffy jumped in surprise at the cold voice, the very sharp dagger - Xander knew for a fact it was because  _he’d_  been the one sharpening it earlier - she’d been twirling between her fingers landing on the floor with a heavy thud. “Oh, Xander.” The guilty look she was sporting at being caught morphed quickly into an angry pout. “What’s it matter? It’s just Spike’s.”  
  
Xander stalked forward, tugging the jacket out of her hands with some effort, straining his shoulders once more in the process and making him suck in quick pained breaths as she finally let go and he stumbled back. “Yes, Buffy, it’s Spike’s, and he’s had it for years. He leant it to me so I wouldn’t have to face you guys bloody and naked when you showed up. That means it’s my responsibility until I can return it.”  
  
“Return it?! Xander, they’re  _vampires_ ; you know, the evil undead. We’re supposed to be killing them, not borrowing their clothes.”  
  
“Oh yeah, ‘cause you did such a good job with that with Deadboy, didn’t you?”  
  
“You leave Angel out of this. He’s good; he has a soul!”  
  
“So did Hitler and he did about as much damage. The only reason Angel even  _has_  the soul is ‘cause some Gypsy clan cursed him with it so he’d feel bad for all the death and destruction he’d caused. It‘s not like he wanted the damn thing. At least Spike and Dru are honest about themselves and not trying to pretend to be something they’re not.”  
  
“Why are you sticking up for them? They keep trying to kill us!”  
  
“No, Buffy, they keep trying to kill  _you_  because you‘re the Slayer and Spike‘s bored. They take better care of  _me_  then anybody ever has, and how sad is it that I can say that about two hundred year old ‘evil, soulless’ demons?”  
  
“Children, enough! Xander you’re out of line. While I can appreciate your views on Angel, I have to agree with Buffy about your association with Spike and Dru. It’s certainly not normal or healthy.”  
  
“Normal?! How is anything we’ve been doing ever considered normal? We fight demons and vampires and every other creature that goes bump in the night! I’ve been possessed by the spirit of a soldier and almost turned into some kind of sea creature. How is that normal? And as for healthy? In case you hadn’t noticed, Giles, when you and Willow were standing in the back making with the mojo, I was up front with Buffy fighting those things and I don’t have super-healing to help me recover. When you’ve been patching up her scrapes and cuts, I’ve been re-locating my shoulders and wrapping my sprained wrists and ankles and downing caffeine to make sure I stay awake through possible concussions and thanking whatever god out there is looking out for me that I haven’t broken anything yet ‘cause I can’t afford to go to the hospital to get it fixed. And that’s not counting all the times some shape shifting demon has tried to eat me.”  
  
“Xan… Xander, maybe you should calm down…” Xander glanced over to see tears trickling down Willow’s face.  
  
“No, Willow, I’ve needed to say this for a while and you can cry all you want and be mad at me all you want, but I’m going to say it before I bottle it all up inside again.” Turning his attention back to a completely dumbstruck Giles, absently wondering if anybody had ever managed that before, he continued. “I’m out there risking my life every time because I want to protect my home, the place I grew up, and it may  _literally_  be a hell hole, but it’s still my home. It’s not my calling or my job or my sacred duty. I’m not getting paid for it or having damages reimbursed. While you’re busy training Buffy to fight and Willow to do magic, who’s making sure all the weapons are sharpened and cleaned or stakes are made? It sure as hell isn’t them and not once have any of you ever thanked me. And not a single one of you have ever tried to help me learn to fight more than telling me to point the dangerous end of the weapon at the bad guys, but I’m still out there trying my best and getting my ass kicked in the process.”  
  
Pacing around the room to try to disperse the nervous energy he could feel building up at actually giving voice to what he’d been feeling for months instead of simply shoving it behind the goofy mask he normally showed them, he clutched Spike’s duster closer to his chest, taking in the scent of alcohol and cigarette smoke and the spicy incense that Dru liked to use and finding a small comfort in the odd combination. “Hell, you guys don’t even listen to me anymore; haven’t in a long time. One good example being that I know for a fact I told all of you about Spike declaring me off limits to the vamp community for helping Dru. It was just so weird and strange and I was completely freaking out and you guys barely even heard a word I said that night. Hell, the whole reason I wound up helping her in the first place was because you guys ignored me when I told you I saw somebody who needed help. Has it even crossed your minds that you’ve been sending me off on patrol  _by myself_  for months now? Here’s a surprise for you, I’ve had at least Spike with me every time, otherwise I’ve had one of the babysitters Dru assigned to me watching out for me, and do you know how totally weird it is that I’m relying on strange vampires to protect me from other demons?”  
  
“You…You…oh dear Lord.”  
  
Xander watched as Giles stared at him in horrified shock before stumbling back to sit heavily in his recliner. He wanted to gloat, to rub the horrible facts of his life in the Watcher’s face, but… but he honestly felt numb in that moment. Maybe it was shock setting in, or a nervous breakdown, he figured he was owed either one after the night he’d had.  
  
Looking over at the girls, Willow in tears and Buffy looking defiant and angry, he realized he really didn’t feel it in him to care. They were his girls and yet… they hadn’t been for a long time either. Friends looked out for each other and cared about each other and he hadn’t felt that either of them even considered him as more than an afterthought for months. Nobody asked about his day, or if he was alright, though he was expected to listen tirelessly to them drone on about their latest crush or shopping expedition together. Nobody asked him to hang our or go do something, unless it was Slaying related anyway. Buffy he could let slide as he hadn’t known her all that long, but the treatment from Willow truly hurt something deep inside him; that little boy that had shared his crayon all those years ago with a little red-headed girl was crying and it made him want to strike out and hurt her in return. Well, it had felt that way recently, now it was as if everything, all his thoughts and emotions, were wrapped in cotton, like he was just a step to the side of reality. It was actually kind of cool if you ignored all the reasons why it was probably happening.  
  
Giles’ voice drug him back from his musings and he wondered how much of the  _good_  Scotch the older man would be drinking as soon as the three of them left because he sure didn’t sound all that steady.  
  
“Perhaps…perhaps you should explain things to us… again. I feel I owe you an apology, Alexander, I …”  
  
“Don’t bother G-man, at least not right now. I’m feeling kinda numb and angry and not really in the mood to be forgiving. Try again when I’m not dead on my feet, and doesn’t that take on a whole new meaning around here, and in pain. But yeah, sure, I’ll tell you what happened again, but go get your Watcher’s diary or a tape recorder or something, because I already told you guys once and you didn’t listen; if you don’t get it this time, too bad, I’m not going to tell the story again.” Xander was surprised when he actually did as he suggested, quickly moving through the room to return with a handheld recorder and a regular spiral notebook and a couple pens. Xander shook his head and laughed to himself though he guessed he couldn’t fault the Watcher for wanting to get the kind of information he was about to share.  
  
Looking from the couch, where the girls sat, to Giles in his recliner, to the hard kitchen chairs, Xander quickly made a decision and went back to the guest bedroom, gathering up the pillows and the comforter before returning and making a little nest on the floor. Kneeling gracefully and settling into the middle of the soft pile, still clutching Spike’s duster to him, he looked up to see the other three staring at him in varying degrees of shock, though Giles’ look was the funniest, probably because he had more life experience behind him to think of all kinds of wrong ideas behind Xander’s knowledge. He thought of simply leaving the other man with his imaginings, but decided it would be better in the long run to put him out of his misery. Shrugging slightly, then remembering  _painfully_  why that was a bad idea, he cocked his head to the side with a wry grin. “I’m a human in a Master vampire’s court; I learned quickly.”  
  
“You learned…oh good heavens, have you… what I mean is…” Giles stopped and took a deep breath, set all of his recording instruments down and got up to fix himself a large glass of very good Scotch, minors in the room or no. After several steadying drinks of the amber liquid, he returned to his chair, set the glass within easy reach, and retrieved his equipment. Turning on the recorder and setting pen to paper, he nodded to the young man he thought he had known. “Well, Xander, will you please explain how it is you became the favored human of the vampires known as William the Bloody and Drusilla the Mad? I don’t believe anything like this has been documented as happening before.”  
  
“With them, who knows. Drusilla, Dru, gets these whims, impulses, or whatever and Spike tends to humor her, but this time it was his idea or maybe their idea, I’m not really sure on that part, it got kinda confusing after a while. So anyway, it’s March now, all this happened almost a year ago, right around May, I remember ‘cause Willow was freaking out about finals even though we still had a couple weeks left and we were doing the whole Apocalypse thing and Angel decided to make my year and had already headed off to La-La Land. So yeah, Spike had killed the Annoying One and taken over as Master of the Hellmouth… umm, you guys did realize that, right?”  
  
“What?! Oh hell no! Me and Mr. Pointy are so going to take care of this.”  
  
“Buffy, do sit down and let us hear Xander out. Please, Xander, explain?”  
  
Xander gave Giles a suspicious look, wondering when he suddenly ranked high enough for polite requests from the Watcher, realized it was only probably ‘cause of the information on his two vampires and their court, and mentally shrugged it off. Ignoring Buffy‘s outburst, he explained the best he could. “Okay, from what Spike’s explained to me and I’ve overheard in the Court, the Annoying One…”  
  
“You mean the  _Anointed_  One?”  
  
“Umm, from everything I’ve heard about him, Annoying’s more fitting. Anyway, he was descended from the original Master somehow, like Spike’s cousin or something by vampire bloodlines, I’m not sure, I kinda zoned out through all that mess, so when the Master got dusty for the last time, the little brat took over since there was no one else of the Aurelius line around…yeah recognize that name, huh? Well when the kid got dusted, there was a power vacuum and since Deadboy wouldn’t step up to fill the role, Darla dead, and Dru…um, incapable of controlling the courts, Spike had to take over.”  
  
“What do you mean ‘had to’? Why didn’t they just leave town again, not like the town doesn’t have enough vampires running around.”  
  
Xander frowned, trying to remember how Spike had explained it to him so it made sense. “Okay, you know all the vamps we usually take out in the graveyards? They’re like canon fodder; they’re just throwaways, a side effect of messy eating Spike says.* Well, when Spike and Dru took over, they kind of got rid of a lot of them, or well, let you do it. Too many of them were loyal to other people and they’d be a threat to them or they were too stubborn to follow Spike’s rules and Spike believes in the one-strike policy - as in one screw up and you’re dust, if one of us doesn’t do it, then he will. Well, with the exception of if you do something that could cause Dru to get injured, then he just makes you wish for a quick death. Anyway one of the things he put a stop to was the random turnings, said that the Court was filled with enough idiots without them adding more, or something like that.”  
  
Xander paused, collecting his thoughts again as he realized he’d wandered slightly off topic though from the repeatedly murmured “fascinating” coming from Giles and the frantic scribbling of pen over paper, maybe he was doing alright after all. “Umm, so yeah, the reason why they didn’t leave… well, mainly cause you’re here, Buffy. Spike’s taken out two Slayers already; he’s not exactly afraid of you. But he said that with the Hellmouth here, somebody needed to be in control, otherwise there were too many fights for dominance?” He glanced out Giles, wondering if he’d remembered that part correctly, but Giles’ positive nodding seemed to mean he was on the right track. “Well the fighting apparently usually gets out of hand, lots of humans and other demons dying either to make more vamps or simply as collateral damage, which normally he wouldn’t care about, ‘cause, you know, humans and all, but he said the world was too technologically advanced for them to be causing chaos like that now and they’d wind up with military groups hunting them down and nowhere to hide unlike the old days when all they had to worry about was one group of scared villagers with pitchforks.”  
  
“Wait a minute, so you’re trying to tell me they’re what? Like, doing their civic duty or something by taking over?”  
  
Xander squirmed uncomfortably and fought the urge to shrug, glancing over at Giles for some kind of reinforcement, though he looked to be too busy writing. “Um…yeah?”  
  
“That’s so completely bullshit! Giles, tell him!” Buffy leapt up from the couch, arms gesturing wildly as she looked to her Watcher for support.  
  
“What? Oh, well, I’m not sure if ‘civic duty’ is the correct term to use, but understanding that most vampires are typically concerned primarily with survival, it is logical then that Spike would decide to remain in one of the most active vampire areas in order to keep undo notice from being drawn to them as a species. Though the very fact that he is taking on the role of Master, including a defined Court…” This time it was Giles that paused, looking to Xander for confirmation, to which he bobbed his head more or less positively, not sure what exactly was meant by “defined,” but not wanting to draw Buffy’s attention while she was throwing a fit by asking either. “Right, well, the fact that he’s establishing an actual Court is highly out of character for him from everything the Watchers have recorded thus far and I have to wonder if perhaps something drastic has happened in his and Drusilla’s lives that would lead to this change in behavior.”  
  
Once again, all eyes fell on Xander with varying amounts of curiosity and suspicion. “What?” He crossed his arms defensively, unintentionally hugging Spike’s duster closer to his bare chest, which was good, because as his shoulders protested the movement he needed something to hold onto until he caught his breath again.  
  
“Xander, you’ve been quite helpful with the information you’ve provided so far, but perhaps you could…”  
  
“Explain what you’re doing hanging around with vampires, Mister.” Willow finally decided to chip in on the conversation, having been completely thrown by this unusual behavior from the boy she’d known for almost her entire life. The very fact that he hadn’t even tried to comfort her when she’d started crying let her know just how wrong things had gotten between them.  
  
Giles gave the girls an aggravated look before turning his attention back to Xander. “Yes, quite. If you could please explain how you came about becoming… _friends_  with half of the Scourge of Europe as well as what role you play in their Court?”  
  
“Yeah, um… you think I could get something to drink maybe? This is going to take a bit to explain and you’re all pretty much not going to like it.”  
  
Giles looked at him for a long moment before setting all his equipment to the side once more and grabbing his almost empty glass of Scotch. “Right, girls, you know where the refreshments are; we might as well all be comfortable for this.” So saying, he went and filled up his glass with more Scotch; from the sounds of it, he was certainly going to need it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The White Knight and the Dark Damsel In Distress.“ Or, the long awaited meeting of Xander, Dru and Spike!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going with most of the pre-Dawn series, however I’m playing fast and light with events so they may or may not have happened in the order they’re mentioned. Oh, and my “messy eating” quote, was also from Not Ripe Yet, go figure lol

Xander was trailing behind Buffy, Willow, and Giles, listening absently as the Watcher critiqued their performance- complimenting Buffy on her technique in taking out the slimy demon with way too many arms and Willow on her budding spell work. Nobody said anything to or about him and he was once again, as was happening more and more recently, wondering why he even bothered to come along.  
  
It was as he was drifting further away from the small group that he happened to hear the faint sound of malicious laughter and, oh yeah, he knew that sound all too well; every bad guy and demon that came through town, not to mention school bully, laughed that way… usually right before they hit him. Stopping, he turned towards the direction he thought the sound had come from, just catching a glimpse of a dark haired girl being followed by several guys who were laughing and shoving each other the way the jocks at school tended to do before the group disappeared into the gates of one of the cemeteries. “Hey guys? Guys? Buffy? Giles?” Not wanting to look away from the cemetery entrance for long, he glanced back only to see that the others had kept walking, apparently not noticing that he’d stopped, and were now a full block ahead of him and not slowing down.  
  
If he had known he’d one day look back on the moment as one that changed the course of his life, much as him first stumbling into the new blonde girl at school had… well, he’d probably still make the same decision.  
  
Glancing between the cemetery and the fading laughter he could just hear and his friends disappearing into the distance, he came to a decision. Patting his pockets, making sure his stakes and holy water were still in place, he jogged down the sidewalk to the cemetery entrance, peeking in carefully, just in case, before venturing inside. The streetlights might as well have been stars with as much light as they shed into the dark field, shadows gathering around and spilling ominously from crypts and mausoleums and giant weeping angel statues scattered across the manicured lawn.  
  
Following the road and the sound of laughter, he jogged as quietly as possibly, glad that he’d learned to control his breathing from the swimming fiasco. As the laughter grew louder, he pulled a stake from his pocket, holding it at the ready as he moved quickly from shadow to shadow, trying his best to sneak up on the group stalking the, apparently, oblivious girl.  
  
Realizing that the group had slowed down, Xander found a large monument to duck behind, yet another crying angel, and didn’t  _that_  just make him feel oh so optimistic. Fingers flexing around the stake in his hand, he got a good look at the three goons stalking the girl, their laughter and crude comments floating back to him as well as some kind of nursery rhyme in a lilting female voice. Great, not only vamps, but an escapee from a mental ward as well from the sounds of it. Taking a deep breath to fortify himself, Xander ran out from behind the statue, yelling angrily, or at least noisily, ‘cause you know, it might help to get someone else’s (read Buffy and Giles’) attention, stake clutched in his hand…and promptly tripped over a fallen chunk of tombstone hidden in the over grown grass and tumbled straight into the closest vamp, sending both of them crashing into the others.  
  
Amid loud cursing and yelling and glancing blows as the four tried to disentangle themselves from each other, all with the same lilting nursery rhyme being sung in the background, Xander suddenly came to the realization that the three were not actually in fact vampires at all, and were actually former high school bullies who definitely seemed to recognize him… or at least his general normally cowardly, geeky type. The situation taking on a whole new dynamic, Xander did what years of target practice taught him, he scrambled back out of the way and pressed himself against the nearest solid object he could find so none of them could catch him from behind. Glancing upwards, he realized it was the same crying angel and wondered absently if they were tears of laughter at how much he’d managed to botch up things this time.  
  
As the three pulled themselves off the ground, their attention seemed to be pulled between going after their ineffectual attacker or going after their oblivious prey. It was just as Xander was standing, doing a cursory body check to see if anything was damaged too much, and realized the sharp stinging in his thighs when one of the goons noticed too.  
  
“Oh look, brave little man wet himself! Who exactly are you trying to impress, loser? Or is this your loony girlfriend you’re trying to protect.”  
  
“Wet myself? Huh?” Glancing down quickly, Xander saw the growing wet spot on his jeans, courtesy of the several broken bottles of holy water that had been in his pockets, and also explaining all the little stinging spots in his thigh too. “Well, fuck. I’m never gonna hear the end of this one.” Looking back up at them, he realized that for once, he truly wasn’t scared of the three much larger guys looking to beat him into a pulp. Maybe it was just their location and all of his past experiences there, but suddenly, they really weren’t all that scary in the grand scheme of things.  
  
Standing up straighter, he moved towards the girl who was now spinning in a circle, laughing at whatever was in her head, his back to her as he refused to take his eyes off the goons now out to get both of them. “You know, it takes a  _real_  man to go after a girl against her will, an even bigger one to go after one that’s obviously not all here. What happened? Your sister decided you weren’t good enough for her?”  
  
Backing up until he bumped into the spinning figure, knocking her off balance, he couldn’t help but laugh at the dazed look on the guys’ faces. “Wow, even the vamps aren’t that slow. It’s an incest joke, morons… then again, maybe not so much of a joke.” Watching as the three turned an ugly shade of red in their anger and started stalking towards them, Xander turned to look at the girl who he could feel holding loosely to the back of his shirt. “Hey, I don’t know where you came from, but we really need to start running about now. Oh, shit! Dru?! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!” Caught between the two groups, Xander didn’t know which way to turn, but Dru’s absent gaze didn’t bode well for either of them.  
  
“Hello, Kitten. Aren’t the stars lovely? Miss Edith said we needed to come listen to them sing tonight, that we’d find a special present. I’ve always wanted a kitten, but Daddy kept eating all the ones I found.”  
  
Xander’s eyes grew wide at that lovely image, even as part of him couldn’t wait to mention that little fact to Deadboy later…if there was a later. Xander’s gaze darted between the three guys getting closer and starting to fan out to surround the two of them and the, apparently, crazier than normal vamp that was now clutching his arm like they were out for an evening stroll.  
  
“Um, Dru…um, Princess?” And he really hoped Spike didn’t take offense to him calling her that, but it seemed to work for the bleached menace when he was trying to get her to do something. “Um, these men here are kinda not happy with us, and kinda want to hurt us and probably do really bad things to you in particular.” Swallowing, he looked heavenward, wondering how his life had come to this. “Dru? Where’s Spike and the other vamps? He doesn’t let you go out by yourself.”  _He was actually *hoping* for vamps to be around! What kind of Scoobie was he?_  
  
He watched as Dru pouted… honest to God, pouted!... and stomped her foot delicately. “Spike has been a naughty boy and wouldn’t let Miss Edith and me out to play, so Mummy had to put him to bed.”  
  
“Please tell me you meant that literally and you didn’t dust him? Fuck, I can’t believe I’m about to do this.” Taking a deep breath, he yelled as loud as he could. “If any vamps are listening, Dru’s about to be attacked in Shady Grove cemetery!”  
  
Dru stomped her foot again and pushed Xander away, conveniently for them, if not for Xander’s back and head, knocking him into one of their would-be attackers and sending them crashing to the ground. “No! Bad, Kitten! Mummy will have to punish you for calling the dogs. Now Mummy won’t be able to listen to the singing.”  
  
Xander groaned and rubbed the back of his head, not caring in the least as he ground the palm of his hand into the guy’s gut as he pushed himself up. Of course, considering the guy had apparently been knocked unconscious by the rock he hit his head on, Xander didn’t think he cared much at the moment either. Getting an idea, still not believing what he was doing, he held his hand out to Dru, gaze darting to the surprised faces of the other two goons who were apparently debating on the wisdom of their actions. “Dru, Princess, why don’t you come with me? I know a nice  _safe_  place where you can listen to the stars sing all you want and the dogs won’t stop you, okay?”  
  
Seeing her hesitate, he risked reaching out and grabbing her arm, tugging her back behind him and out from in front of the two remaining goons. He felt what he was pretty sure was supposed to be a dainty kick to the back of his leg that managed to almost knock him off his feet and continued to push her back towards the safety of the crying angel statue… oh yeah, definitely tears of laughter tonight.  
  
“Hey, look what we have here, a couple of nice tasty meatheads picking on our Mistress. What do you think boys, snack time?” A non-descript brunette man stalked closer to the group, his features shifting with his last words so he looked at the two now terrified goons with golden eyes.  
  
“No!” Xander really wanted to hit his head against something, except it obviously wasn’t working for him so far tonight. “No, you can’t eat them! They didn’t know who they were attacking! Wait, that doesn’t sound right.” The small pack of vamps that had arrived, looked curiously at Xander as he looked between them and the goons, absently holding Dru behind him with his arms as she swayed from side to side.  
  
“You! You’re one of the Slayer’s pets.”  
  
“Not a pet!”  
  
“Hush, Kitten, you mustn’t provoke the dogs, they bite.”  
  
“Yeah, no kidding, Dru. And not helping, by the way.” He shook his head as he could hear her mock growl at the other vamps, though the sound of her teeth clicking together right after so close to his throat did give him chills and have him standing very  _very_  still for a moment.  
  
The lead vamp tilted his head curiously as he looked at the odd picture Xander and Dru made. “You really don’t expect us not to eat them? Even if we let them go, they’d just go after some human girl.”  
  
“Then knock them out and take them to the jail with a note pinned to their chests, but I  _can’t_  just let you kill them. You understand that right?” Xander was actually surprised that not only was he having a conversation with a vamp in general, but about the ethics of killing slimeball humans in particular.”  
  
“Who do I look like, Spiderman? And what are you doing holding our Mistress against her will anyway?”  
  
“Actually, without the fangs and grr and stuff, you could probably pass as Peter Parker. And, really? How could  _I_  hold Dru against her will. Human, remember? But I was protecting her from the goon squad over there, the human ones, not your guys, ‘cause she seems to be a little more…umm… lost?... than normal. Now? I’m thinking she’s good hostage material until Spike gets here and I can negotiate.”  
  
“Wait a minute, pet…”  
  
“ _Not_  a pet!”  
  
“Yeah, whatever you say,  _Kitten_.”  
  
“I hate you right now.”  
  
The vampire smirked. “So, you were saying, you were  _protecting_  Mistress Dru from  _humans_?”  
  
“Well it’s not like I realized it was her at first. I thought  _they_  were vamps and  _she_  was a human. What were you, a lawyer?”  
  
“Paralegal working on my degree. But what about when you realized it was her and not some helpless human? You still protected her and even  _called_  for help? You one of those weird death chasing humans wanting to get turned?”  
  
“What? No! Not even! And that explains a lot actually, I didn’t think they kept your type alive though, too much competition. And in case you didn’t notice, she still  _is_  helpless. Ow! Dru, quit kicking me. I’m sorry, you’re not helpless, but those men wanted to do dirty things to you and I don’t think even your Daddy would forgive me for letting them do that.”  
  
“Got that right. It’s dear old Daddy’s job, that is.”  
  
“Thank God, Spike! And I never thought I would ever say that, and can I just say eww about Deadboy. That falls into the TMI category, and I do hope you mean Angelus and not Angel, ‘cause if Angel is doing that stuff, then I kinda think we oughta let Buffy and the others know so she can go dust him… Actually, can we just tell her anyway?” Xander grinned broadly at the thought of the mayhem that little tidbit of information would cause, unknowingly gaining an appreciative look from Spike.  
  
Spike strode calmly into the middle of the group, taking in the situation with a sweep of his bright blue gaze. “Right then. So let me see if  _I_  understand what’s going on. You lot,” pointing at the humans who were too terrified to run after watching the creatures surround them and listening to the, quite frankly, disturbing conversation, “decided to take advantage of my Dark Plum over there, right?”  
  
As Spike growled as the two still conscious humans refused to answer, Xander spoke up. “You have to dumb it down for them, Spike, they’re more clueless than your normal cannon fodder you throw at us.” Rolling his eyes, he looked at the two goons. “He means you were planning on attacking and raping the girl behind me, right? And I’d answer honestly; they can smell a lie… literally.” Watching the two flinch at his words he sneered, once more unknowingly gaining several appreciative looks from the surrounding vampires. “What? You don’t like the word ‘rape?’ In case you weren’t sure, it’s what having sex with someone without their consent is called. Morons.” Muttering, he looked up at the starry sky. “Ought to let them eat the losers just to take them out of the gene pool.”  
  
The brunette vampire looked at Spike with a broad grin tilting his lips. “I like this one, can we keep him?”  
  
“ _Not_  a  _pet_ , Spidey”  
  
“Just call me Jer.”  
  
Spike looked between the two males dumbstruck for a moment at the utter absurdity of the situation before turning his attention back to the two humans. “Right then, I trust the whelp here...can’t believe I just said that… so what t’ do with you three. Eh, grab ‘em all and take ‘em back t’ the lair; we’ll figure out what t’ do with ‘em later.” Watching Xander bristle and start to step forward, he sighed. “And don’ hurt ‘em… overly much… for now. That sit alright with you and your Slayerette morals?”  
  
“Not really, but I’m guessing it’s the most I can actually ask for.”  
  
Spike rolled his eyes and lit up a cigarette, hopping up to pace along the roof of a mausoleum where he could keep an eye on everyone. “Now for the next part. You, one of the Slayer’s minions… “  
  
“What, no objection to ‘minion’?”  
  
“Like it better than ‘pet’.” Xander shrugged at Jer’s question.  
  
“Bloody ‘ell, It’s like being surrounded by children… oh wait,  _you_  still are one. But even so, you decided to save my Mistress here, knowing who she is and what she’s done? Knowing she could turn on you at any time?”  
  
Glancing over his shoulder at the swaying, humming vampire, Xander gave Spike a doubtful look. “Not thinking she’s all on Earth at the moment to worry about it. And yeah, she still shouldn’t have something like that happen to her against her will. Can’t say some wouldn’t think she  _deserves_  it from some of the stories I’ve heard, but I’d like to think those ‘Slayerette morals’ make me a little more knowledgeable about what’s fundamentally right and wrong. Rape’s never right.”  
  
Spike gave him a considering look before hopping effortlessly back down to the ground and striding over to him, long, slim fingers darting out to grasp Xander’s chin in order to tilt his head from side to side, looking him over for something only the vamp knew. “How come you’re not scared of me? Even when Peaches pretended t’ give you t’ me back at the school, you were fighting… ‘course from the sounds of it, that coulda just been ‘cause of Peaches himself.”  
  
“Honestly, I’ve seen scarier.”  
  
“Oi!”  
  
Xander spoke quickly as Spike’s features quickly shifted. “Not that I don’t respect the threat that you are, but physically, I’ve seen bigger, slimier, grosser, uglier demons than a Billy Idol lookalike. It’s like going to the zoo and seeing the tigers, yeah they’re pretty and everything, but you still know they’d rather just eat you, it’s nothing personal, it’s just the way they are. I mean, except for the whole ‘must kill the Slayer’ thing, you’re pretty much just doing what comes naturally to your kind, not like the ones that want to end the world or conquer it or whatever”  
  
Spike looked back as he heard Jer snickering. “Oi, what’s got into you now?”  
  
“I think he just called you pretty.”  
  
If Spike wasn’t holding his head still, Xander knew he’d probably try to knock it against something. “Really, Jer? All of that and  _that’s_  what you get out of it. You guys just had to turn a lawyer didn’t you?”  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. “Not one of mine, they’re from before our time here; we jus’ inherited the lot of them. Figured I’d put them to use and have them watch over Dru when I was… indisposed. Fat lotta good that did.” Spike turned glowing gold eyes on the group of vampires and Xander watched as they all flinched and started backing away.  
  
“Actually, before you go all evil vampire Master and dust them all, you might want to keep that one. He seems to be smarter than most of them.” Xander pointed to the one called Jer, once again doubting his sanity as he was now trying to save yet another vampire. Buffy and Giles would be so ashamed of him if they knew…which they never would if he had anything to do with it.  
  
This time it was Jer staring in shock at Xander, not believing the young human was sticking up for him and, unbeknownst to Xander, earning the young vampire’s loyalty.  
  
Spike was speechless, the whole night had been one big clusterfuck as far as he was concerned, what with the pack of demons he’d been trying to negotiate with, Dru’s disappearance, and now the mess with the Slayer’s pet  _saving_  his Mistress… he needed a drink.  
  
“Bugger it all! Right then, you lot escort my Dark Princess back to the lair, the whelp and I are going to have a little conversation.”  
  
“No! Naughty boys don’t get to play with the Kitten, you play too rough and he’ll be broken, he hasn’t gotten his claws yet.”  
  
Feeling decidedly awkward standing between the two Master vamps, and deciding to ignore Jer’s not quite subtle snickering, Xander started inching his way to the side only to have one of Dru’s pale, dainty hands latch onto his arm and tether him to her side.  
  
“Ah, Princess, as much of a treat as I’m sure he is, I’m not going to hurt your… Kitten. Just need to talk to the whelp is all. Owe him a boon, don’t I, for saving you.”  
  
Once again wondering how his life had spun so out of control in the course of an hour or so, Xander turned to look down at the vulnerable looking female and gently patted the hand clutching his arm. “It’s okay, Dru. It’s late and you should get back home… I’m sure Miss Edith is tired after all the excitement. Spike and I just want to have a talk. I promise we won’t… play.”  
  
Dru looked suspiciously between the two males and pouted, stamping her foot again. “But I don’t want to go with the dogs, they’re loud and chew the furniture.”  
  
Xander had to bite back a laugh at the image of Jer gnawing on the leg of a couch that went through his mind, though from the faint grumbling he heard from that direction, knew he must not have hid his expression well enough. “Yes, but Spike is training them, and they’ll be good guard dogs and make sure you get home safe so you and Miss Edith can rest.”  
  
She pouted again and huffed, but released Xander’s arm, much to his relief as he began trying to shake the numb tingles out of his fingers, and walked gracefully over to Jer, staring up at the taller vamp for a long moment, studying him. “Good dog! An alpha of the pack, you are, you shall guard my Kitten for me until he gets his claws.”  
  
Looking between Spike and Xander and the terrifying female before him, Jer nodded carefully. “Um…yes, Mistress.”  
  
“Good. Miss Edith wants her bed, those horrible men scared her.” And, latching onto his hand, began to lead Jer and the others from the cemetery, leaving Spike and Xander staring after them.  
  
The silence lingered, only the sound of the wind in the trees and Xander’s soft breathing breaking the stillness.  
  
“You’re good with her. Not many people even try to understand her, much less talk to her like you did.”  
  
Spike didn’t look at him as he spoke, so Xander had no real idea of what was expected of him, but decided honesty would probably definitely be the best policy this time. “Yeah, well, my grandma… before she died she lived with us and she got pretty bad, Alzheimers or dementia or something, and sometimes she’d be just fine, but others… she was a little girl again and living in a world of her own. My parents…well, let’s just say they don’t have a whole lot of patience for sick people or kids.”  
  
Spike looked at the boy next to him, such an odd combination of strength and vulnerability, so determined to do what was right he would even save somebody who’d actively tried to hurt him before. The demons in town had it right, he really was the Slayer’s White Knight, and he wondered if the silly chit even knew what a prize she had in her grasp. “I owe you. You saved my Sire, something you had every right not to do, but you did it anyway. From today forward, you’re safe from the Aurelius clan. Your friends are on their own, but you have my protection as acting head of the Aurelius line since Peaches gave it up and Dru’s not capable. If you are ever in trouble, need protection… from anything,” no, he hadn’t missed the comment about the whelp’s parents or the way the boy had unconsciously rubbed at his chest as if it hurt, “you can come to me and I’ll do my best to help.”  
  
Xander stared at him in shock. He couldn’t have heard that right. “But… but what about Buffy and the slaying and… and… How would I even find you?”  
  
“The fledglings are free game, survival of the fittest and all that, plus none of my folks should be making any. We’ve got too much to deal with than babysitting fledglings what with all the demons trying to take over the Hellmouth now that the Annoying One’s out of the way. As for reaching me? Seems Dru’s picked out your guard dog in your lawyer friend. Not much we can do during day light, but you’ll have one of us as a guard come nightfall.”  
  
“But… but Buffy! She’ll try to kill them…and, and I can’t just have a pet vampire following me around all the time.”  
  
Spike cuffed him gently upside the head. “Really, not like they’d be right with you, move faster than you lot, remember? He just has t’ keep ya in eyesight. Now come on, let’s get you home so I can get back to check on Dru, make sure she didn’t decide to put down her dogs.”  
  
It wasn’t until he’d seen the boy enter his house to the yelling of two drunken voices and had started on his way back to the lair that Spike wondered where the Slayer and the rest of the whelp’s friends had been through the whole ordeal.  
  


  
.oOo.

  
  
  
The three sat staring at him, once again the looks seemed to vary from outright disbelief to “are you out of your ever loving mind?!” Yeah, he was kind of getting used to that at this point. When Giles lifted a shaky hand to grab his now-empty tumbler of Scotch, staring into its empty depths in shock, Xander decided it was time for him to leave.  
  
“So yeah, that’s how all that went down. And you guys obviously need some time to think about things, preferably without me within shouting or hitting distance, so I’ll just let myself out. I’d like to say it’s been fun, but… yeah, it really hasn’t.”  
  
He’d pushed to his feet without using his arms, just like he’d been taught, and his hand had just touched the doorknob when Giles called out to him. Sighing, he let his head fall heavily against the door in front of him.  _So close._  “Yeah, Giles?”  
  
“Xander, perhaps… perhaps one of us should go with you.”  
  
He snorted, in surprise? Humor? Shock? He wasn’t really sure, but he rolled his head enough to look back over his shoulder at the three who were now standing, nervously shuffling as if unsure whether to go after him or not. “Don’t worry about it; I’m sure I’ve got an escort waiting across the street. You can even stand on the doorstep and see me off,  _dad_.” Okay, so his foul mood was showing back up, it was…a glance at the clock on the wall showed it to be way too damn early in the morning after the night he’d had to really care.  
  
“Xander, that’s not nice. We’re just… we’re worried about you.”  
  
Xander turned his head the other way to look back at Willow. “Willow, it’s four o’clock in the morning, I have been kidnapped, tortured, and interrogated on top of having had a full day of school and patrolling. This  _is_  me being nice right now.”  
  
Opening the door when nothing else was said to that, he stepped out into the not quite dark night, a thought hitting him suddenly and he looked back into the warmly lit room, Giles standing behind the girls with a hand on each of their shoulders in a show of comfort, the girls with their arms crossed protectively across their chests. It was very homey, fit to be on a card about warm and fuzzy families… he wondered if he’d ever be a part of that again. Shaking his head, realizing how tired he truly was, he remembered what he had stopped for. “Oh yeah, don’t be surprised if I’m not at school tomorrow. I’m going to go sleep for like a day and try not to move. I’ll… I’ll call you guys tomorrow night… let you know I’m okay.”  
  
Giles gave him a sad look, Willow looked sad and guilty and like she was about to start crying, Buffy looked… suspicion was not a good look to have turned on yourself he realized. Guess he couldn’t blame her, really; if anything was a conflict of interest, it was the situation he was in now.  
  
He was at the bottom of the steps when he heard the door close. Looking back, he saw Giles standing at the door, indeed seeing him off. The older man seemed to hesitate, as if looking for the right words, something Xander never thought he’d ever see.  
  
“Xander, I… I  _am_  sorry, for everything. I understand all too well about not being able to forgive at the moment, and I can accept that. But please know, if you need any help… of  _any_  kind, you need only ask. The situation you’re in right now… it is not an easy one, and things are going to be difficult for you with… the girls for a while, I’m sure.” They both understood that to mean Buffy in particular; Willow would break down in a day or two and beg forgiveness through a plate full of cookie-goodness for her actions.  
  
Through that cottony blanket that was surrounding his emotions, Xander felt a little warmth creep through. It meant something that Giles would make the effort like he was; he was closer to a father figure for Xander than his own sperm donor. “Thanks, G-man. I’ll call you tomorrow…well tonight I guess.”  
  
Xander watched Giles nod, a sad look making the man look older than his years, as if he’d seen and done too much and was being asked to endure more… then again, that wasn’t so far off the mark was it. Yeah, he definitely needed sleep, he was getting depressing. Shaking his head, to clear it once more, he looked out into the night, calling a little louder than was appropriate this time in the morning. “Hey, fang face, stop playing creepy stalker dude and come out. I need my babysitter.”  
  
A dark figure stepped out from behind a shade tree, and made its way under a street lamp, hands tucked into jean pockets and wearing a band t-shirt supporting some 80’s group, the absolutely ordinary looking man looked completely harmless, like some office worker…probably because that‘s what he had been up until the past year or so. “You know we hate that, right?”  
  
Xander laughed tiredly and started across the street, looking both ways for cars ‘cause all he needed at that point was to be hit by a ton of metal. “Yeah, Jer, I know, but if you weren’t one of Spike’s, you’d also try to attack me for it too.”  
  
“Good point. Evening, Watcher,” Jer called and tipped his head politely to the now surprised looking man on the steps before giving Xander a wicked grin no doubt picked up from Spike. “No sense in not being polite, who knows, maybe he’ll remember me next time we run across each other and give me a second to escape.”  
  
Once again Xander was left feeling unsure in his feelings on the subject so simply shoved it in his “deal with it later” box and nodded absently, setting off down the sidewalk.  
  
Jer looked at his young charge as they walked, noticing the awkward way he carried himself as well as the jacket that looked suspiciously like the one his Master was missing though it smelled an awfully lot like the boy at the moment. Weird, but he knew better than to comment on that whole situation. “So uh, where we headed, kid?”  
  
“Home.”  
  
“Home? Um, isn’t your house back the other way?” Jer stopped, turning halfway as he looked back behind them.  
  
Xander didn’t even stop walking. “Not my home tonight, Jer.”  
  
“Ah, gotcha. No problem.” Casting the teen curious looks, Jer nonetheless managed to keep his questions to himself, realizing as the boy walked under streetlight after streetlight how utterly worn out he looked. He’d offer to carry him and get them there in a fraction of the time, but knew it wouldn’t be well received. He remembered being that age after all and it looked like the teen had had enough blows to the body if not the ego for one evening.  
  
Stopping outside the warehouse, Xander knocked on the metal door, too tired to so much as fidget as they waited for a response. Turning to look at his escort, he offered a tired smile. “You don’t have to wait, I’m safe enough here and it’s getting late.” He looked up at the sky, the moon far in the horizon and the stars barely managing to peek out, the sky an odd cartoon-like blue, not quite dark and not quite light. The sun would be rising in an hour or so, and with it the business people and students off to live their ordinary lives, oblivious to the entire different world ready to literally eat them alive playing out right under their noses. Right… sleep, no more depressing thoughts.  
  
Lost as he was in his sleep-deprived thoughts, he thought he heard the squeak of metal hinges and soft voices. A gentle, cool touch to his bare shoulder brought him back to the present and he turned around to look a little down into Spike‘s eyes; it always amazed him that he was bigger, taller than the vampire, he seemed to have so much presence for such a compact build.  
  
The touch suddenly appeared at his cheek, cupping it, thumb brushing softly over his cheekbone. He was starting to lose time, not good.  
  
“Hey, pet, you okay? Why aren’t you home or with the Watcher?”  
  
“Needed to return your jacket… get some sleep… rest…” Xander felt his voice start to shake and his eyes burn with unwanted tears. How could he tell the Master vampire that he just wanted somebody to take care of him, if only for a little bit. That he and his own Master…Mistress?… took better care of him than his own so called friends. Swallowing hard, he couldn’t hold that too-knowing blue gaze, and glanced down to look at the safer view of pale skin covering strong shoulders. “Can I…Can I stay here tonight… today? Just for a little while?”  
  
Spike looked at the teen in front of him, the dejection and pain damn near leaking off of him and wondered how the boy’s “friends” could let him get to this point. But, their loss; he and his Princess knew a good thing when they saw it and you couldn’t buy loyalty and caring the likes of which the boy gave freely. Stepping back from the teen, he opened the warehouse door, a hand settling at the base of his bare back, not liking the chill he felt there. They couldn’t even give him a shirt to wear or help him put on the coat he was clutching to him like a life preserver? Shaking his head, he urged Xander forward into the darkened warehouse. “Of course, luv. You can stay as long as you’d like. Me and Dru’ll take care of ya.”  
  
Xander looked into the prettiest blue eyes he’d ever seen, on  _anyone_ , and then into the cavernous warehouse lit only by scattered candles and dim lamps to see Dru swaying from side to side in her old fashioned night gown, Miss Edith clutched against her with one arm, the other outstretched welcomingly, looking for all the world like a little girl waiting to be tucked into bed. He could hear the other vampires rustling around in the background, finding places to bunk down for the night, either separately or with others. This would never be on a greeting card as a picture of a happy, cozy family group, but at that moment, it was just what he needed.


End file.
